Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Kidney Vetch bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Kidney Vetch, Lady's Fingers, Woundwort (Anthyllis vulneraria).

More about kidney vetch

About Kidney Vetch

Anthyllis vulneraria · also called Kidney Vetch, Lady's Fingers · flowering

Anthyllis vulneraria is a low-growing perennial or biennial legume native to calcareous grasslands, cliffs, and coastal dunes across Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. It bears dense, woolly heads of yellow, orange, or red flowers from June to September and fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root nodule bacteria. The most important care fact is excellent drainage on infertile, alkaline soil: rich or waterlogged conditions cause rapid decline. The plant is not known to be toxic to pets.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aphid infestation: Black bean aphid (Aphis fabae) and related species can colonise stems and flower heads; small infestations are tolerated and attract beneficial predators, but heavy infestations may be controlled with a firm water jet or insecticidal soap.

The reasons kidney vetch isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming kidney vetch traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding kidney vetch a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get kidney vetch to flower

Maximise sun. Give kidney vetch the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for kidney vetch and get the feeding right with the kidney vetch fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Kidney Vetch flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full kidney vetch care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Kidney Vetch blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my kidney vetch flower?

Kidney Vetch blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make kidney vetch bloom?

Give kidney vetch the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does kidney vetch normally bloom?